The Utility of Biosurveillance for Public Health Practice: The Findings from Two Case Studies

States and localities are using biosurveillance for a variety purposes including event detection, situational awareness, and response. However, little is known about the impact of biosurveillance on the operational components and functioning of the public health system and the added value of biosurveillance to traditional surveillance methods. A deeper understanding of how state and local public health systems use biosurveillance data and the factors that facilitate and impede its utility are needed to inform efforts to improve public health surveillance.

Objectives

A goal of the case studies was to assess the impact of biosurveillance on public health system preparedness, detection and response for a range of public health threats.